Pedestrian shot on Pittard Road
A 22-year-old Athens man was in critical condition in the intensive care unit of Athens Regional Medical Center after he was shot Friday morning in northeastern Clarke County, Athens-Clarke police said.

Rutland evacuated over student threat
Students and staff at Rutland Academy evacuated the school Thursday morning after a 16-year-old student ignited a burner on a kitchen stove and threatened to blow up the building, according to administrators.

Pedestrian robbed on North Avenue
A University of Georgia student reported he was attacked and robbed by two men early Friday while walking in the area of North Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway, Athens-Clarke police said.

Student charged with false report
University of Georgia police Thursday took out a warrant charging a student with falsely reporting a crime after the woman admitted she made up a story she'd been grabbed by someone three days earlier at the Lamar Dodd School of Art, UGA police said.

Stolen card used to run up bar tab
Officers arrested an Athens man Wednesday night for using a lost or stolen credit card to run a tab at a downtown bar, Athens-Clarke police said.

Burglar takes jewels during home break-in
A woman reported jewelry worth $3,200 was stolen in a burglary of her home on Homestead Drive between 10 a.m. and 3:50 p.m. Wednesday, but officers found no evidence of a break-in, Athens-Clarke police said.

Officers frisk man, find painkillers
An Athens man allegedly brandished a knife while fighting with his wife at their home on Monty Drive on Thursday night, and when officers patted him down for weapons, they found a bottle of painkillers that were prescribed to someone else, Athens-Clarke police said.

Electronics taken in car break-in
Thieves pried open a University of Georgia student's sport utility vehicle at his home on Artisan Place between 11 p.m. Wednesday and 11 a.m. Thursday and stole a combination compact disc player, television and GPS unit, an iPod, sunglasses and a radar detector with a total value of $2,480, Athens-Clarke police said.

Amp and speakers stolen from trunk
Thieves punched out the trunk lock of a Carlton man's car while it was parked at United Technologies, 700 Olympic Drive, between 5 a.m. and 4 p.m. Thursday and stole an amplifier and speakers valued at $1,100, Athens-Clarke police said.

Panel: UGA's Henson did not violate code of conduct
A University of Georgia judiciary panel on Friday found suspended Georgia snapper Jeff Henson did not violate two of the school’s student code of conduct regulations, according to information obtained by the Banner-Herald under an open records request.

Dobbs has memorable first start
Saturday was a big day of firsts for Georgia sophomore Demarcus Dobbs. The 6-foot-2, 282-pound Savannah native got the first start of his career at defensive end, recorded his first collegiate interception, scored his first-ever defensive touchdown and after No. 2 Georgia's 56-17 win over Central Michigan, he met University President Michael Adams for the first time.

Richt wouldn't mind Thursday night game
Central Michigan and South Carolina, the next two opponents for Georgia, will head into their matchups with the Bulldogs coming off of Thursday night games the week before.

Panel: Henson did not violate code regulations
A University of Georgia judiciary panel on Friday found suspended Georgia snapper Jeff Henson did not violate two of the school's student code of conduct regulations, according to information obtained by the Banner-Herald under an open records request.

Georgia, Central Michigan share many relationships
The old-school Georgia connection was with Auburn, the university 178 miles away where Vince Dooley played and coached before he was hired in 1963 by athletic director Joel Eaves, another Auburn man, to become the Bulldogs football coach.

Rebels fall in final seconds
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Riley Skinner didn't panic, even though he had only a minute following Mississippi's go-ahead touchdown on fourth down.

Dwyer boosts Yellow Jackets
BOSTON - After surviving three fumbles in the first half, Georgia Tech knew a big play of its own could quickly turn things around in the second.

Penn State disciplines four players
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - A Penn State football player has been kicked off the team for an undisclosed violation of team rules, and three others will miss this weekend's game against Oregon State because of a separate, off-field issue coach Joe Paterno said Thursday.

Fast Facts: Central Michigan vs. Georgia
Blair Walsh's 52-yard field goal against Georgia Southern was the longest by a Bulldogs' freshman in Athens. The Boca Raton native also converted all six of his point afters.

Gators, Hurricanes renew their rivalry
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow is too young to have witnessed much of the history of the Miami-Florida rivalry, and the teams don't play often enough for him to hear about it, either.

Deacs carry weight for ACC
Wake Forest, Atlantic Coast Conference savior. While that sentence would have drawn laughter just a few years ago when the Demon Deacons were routinely scheduled for homecoming, it's now reality.

Richard Hargrove: UGA administrators mistaken about NBAF
An Aug. 29 letter from five University administrators ("Athens is perfect fit for NBAF's mission") is not persuasive. While respectfully and sincerely presented, their conclusion that "Athens is uniquely qualified to support the NBAF mission ..." is mistaken, a non sequitur at best.

Bert O. Richmond: Jekyll Island should be park for all Georgians
In support of Leon Galis' thoughtful comments on Jekyll Island (Insight & Ideas, "The People's Park/ Is Jekyll Island a casualty of its own history?" Sunday) I would like to add two issues. As Galis notes, Jekyll is a state park purchased with taxpayer funds.

H.D. Lott: Palin should follow in McCain's footsteps
Cable news network MSNBC, part of what conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh calls the "drive-by media," spent an inordinate amount of time during the Republican convention allowing its talking heads to negatively editorialize about convention speakers.

James Robertson: Democrats' messiah isn't true Christian
In the Holy Bible, we read that when John the Baptist saw Jesus the first time, he wrote, "I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God." At last week's Democratic National Convention, the delegates proclaimed to the nation that Barack Hussein Obama is their messiah.

Lessard: Converting a garage all about the placement
Dear Lanie: I've seen a lot of garages that have been converted into living spaces, and now I would like to join the crowd. Our garage is about 24 feet by 21 feet, with the opening facing the street. The dilemma is successfully incorporating this space into the interior living area and making it look like it's not a converted garage.

Tedrow: Insecticide needed for pine trees
I have two dead pine trees in my back yard and I suspect I have a pine beetle infestation. Please recommend a course of action to eradicate the pest in order to preserve the remaining trees.

Cottingham: Lettuce - In the garden or on the deck
If you want to feel like a productive vegetable gardener, one of the easiest and most useful plants to grow is lettuce. It is also one of the most productive, as it can be planted both for spring and fall crops and harvested a few leaves at a time. You can do successive plantings, meaning seeds can be planted every few weeks. As you harvest one planting, the next is maturing and will be ready to pick soon.

Today's Best Bets
UGA Arts Festival - Poet and translator Coleman Barks will read of "Lion of the Heart" accompanied by local artist and musician Art Rosenbaum on violin.

Today's Best Bets
Kite to the Moon, Strawberry Flats - Timi Conley, formerly of Fuzzy Sprouts and Aqualove, is joined by Andrew Hanmer on drums and Jay Rodgers on bass for this funky psychedelic act.

Detroit mayor booted
DETROIT - Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was bounced from office Thursday in a deal with prosecutors that will send him to jail and put an end to the sex scandal that embarrassed this chronically struggling city and preoccupied its government for months.

McCain, Palin take their reform show on the road
CEDARBURG, Wis. - John McCain said Friday the sagging economy has brought "tough times all over America" as he made a splashy debut with Sarah Palin in critical Midwestern states as the newly crowned Republican presidential ticket.

McCain: I'll 'reach out'
ST. PAUL, Minn. - John McCain, a POW turned political rebel, vowed Thursday night to vanquish the "constant partisan rancor" plaguing the nation as he launched his fall campaign for the White House. "Change is coming" to Washington, he promised the Republican National Convention.

Job losses hit a 5-year high
WASHINGTON - The nation's unemployment rate zoomed to a five-year high of 6.1 percent in August as employers slashed 84,000 jobs, dramatic proof of the mounting damage a deeply troubled economy is inflicting on workers and businesses alike.

FEMA may cover evacuees' hotel bills
NEW ORLEANS - The federal government says it will pay the hotel expenses of some of the nearly 2 million people who fled their homes ahead of Hurricane Gustav, but exactly who will be eligible for assistance and how much it will cost taxpayers was uncertain.

U.S. ship delivers aid to Georgians
POTI, Georgia - The flagship of the U.S. Navy's Mediterranean fleet anchored Friday outside this key Georgian port, defiantly delivering humanitarian aid to the war-ravaged U.S. ally in a slap at Moscow.

In Libya, Rice calls on ex-foe Gadhafi
TRIPOLI, Libya - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Friday that her historic visit to former pariah state Libya proves that the U.S. never writes off another nation forever.

Abramoff sentenced to four years in prison
WASHINGTON - Jack Abramoff, the once powerful lobbyist at the heart of a far-reaching political corruption scandal, was sentenced to four years in prison Thursday by a judge who said the case had shattered the public's confidence in government.

Bush plans to pull U.S.-Russia deal
WASHINGTON - President Bush is poised to punish Moscow for its invasion of Georgia by canceling a once-celebrated deal for civilian nuclear cooperation between the U.S. and Russia.

Local businessman Leroy Dukes dies at 68
Athens businessman Leroy Dukes, one of the University of Georgia Athletic Association’s staunchest supporters and a longtime community volunteer, died Thursday night of complications from multiple illnesses. Dukes was 68.

Long line forms as mobile food bank stops in Winder
WINDER - Charles Maddox made his living as a carpenter, but a sagging economy and a construction slump has left him unemployed, with time to stand in line and get a little bit of the help offered Friday.

Five elementary school students injured in bus crash
Five Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary School students were taken to a local hospital this afternoon after a school bus crash caused what appeared to be minor injuries, a Clarke County School District spokesman said.

Birth parents want foster mother charged
The birth parents of a 9-month-old Jackson County girl who died of heat stroke Tuesday want her foster mother prosecuted for leaving the little girl locked in a minivan for more than two hours, according to the couple's attorney.

Stabbing case can go to trial
A Clarke County jury has ruled a schizophrenic man is competent to stand trial on charges that he stabbed and nearly killed an Athens-Clarke police officer in a local supermarket last year.

Jefferson's reservoir plan draws criticism
The Upper Oconee Basin Water Authority voted Friday to ask the state Environmental Protection Division to postpone approving Jefferson's long-planned Parks Creek Reservoir until the authority can decide whether to support the new project.

New zones would limit school choice
Students may be forced to attend the school closest to home rather than choose from a list of several, as the Clarke County school board considers changing attendance zones for next school year.

Bus wreck sends kids to hospital
Five Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary School students were taken to the hospital Friday afternoon after a school bus driver made a wide turn and hit a sport utility vehicle in western Clarke County.

Recycling rate up by 12 percent
Athens residents, businesses and government recycled more than 40 million tons of garbage from July 2007 through June 2008, up 12 percent over the same period the prior year.

Jackson hospitalized for stomach pain
CHICAGO - Doctors at a Chicago hospital were conducting tests on the Rev. Jesse Jackson on Thursday, a day after the civil rights leader was admitted with what he called "severe stomach pains."

County increasing spending in 2009
The Jackson County Commission unanimously approved a 2009 budget of $41.4 million, about $6 million more than the county spent in 2008.

Trade would add years to a life
While most people buy classified ads to sell or buy a cast-off item, Athens resident Craig Deaton advertised last week with a more serious quest: He needed the tiny print to help find someone who can save his girlfriend's life.

Hospitals' date in court postponed
A Barrow County Superior Court judge postponed a Thursday hearing in which attorneys for Barrow Regional Medical Center were set to argue why Gainesville-based Northeast Georgia Medical Center shouldn't be allowed to set up a second medical campus in Braselton.

Noted businessman Dukes dies
Athens businessman Leroy Dukes, one of the University of Georgia Athletic Association's staunchest backers and a longtime civic leader, died Thursday night of complications from multiple illnesses. He was 68.

MCG plans to cut 7 percent from budget
AUGUSTA - Medical College of Georgia will weather budget cuts without layoffs and a hiring freeze and still expand across the state, President Daniel W. Rahn promised Thursday.

Planners uphold rezoning
The new owner of an old church in the Boulevard neighborhood will have to follow the same strict standards Athens-Clarke planners set during a controversial 2006 rezoning if he develops it into a business.

Hanna menaces Carolinas; Ike heads west
NASSAU, Bahamas - Tropical Storm Hanna roared along the edge of the Bahamas on Thursday ahead of a possible hurricane hit on the Carolinas, leaving behind at least 61 dead in Haiti.

Economy to be discussed at forum
Local economic development leaders will take questions Monday at a panel discussion sponsored by the Federation of Neighborhoods.

Ticket sales ending for health care forum
Athens Area Democrats will host a buffet breakfast and health care forum with an educator, a hospital administrator and a legislator at 9 a.m. Saturday at Trumps, East Washington and North Jackson streets.

Hanna heads for Carolinas
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - Tropical Storm Hanna cruised toward the Carolinas on Friday, forecast to hit land overnight and promising to deliver gusty winds and heavy rain during a dash up the Eastern Seaboard that could wash out the weekend for millions of people.

Clayton board runs into trouble again
ATLANTA - A Clayton County school board member violated at least six policies when he hastily called a Friday afternoon meeting, the board's attorney said.

Congressman clarifies 'uppity' remark
WASHINGTON - A Republican congressman from Georgia who referred to Barack and Michelle Obama as "uppity" contends he wasn't aware of the term's racial overtones and did not intend to insult anyone.

How will history assess Bush's presidency?
Autumn was breaking into the air, and the governor of Texas was full of energy and brimming with the personality even Democrats liked back in Austin. None of the curious Iowans gathered alongside the gimme-capped "Bush Farm Team" could know they were watching a man on his way to becoming a two-term president. But you could feel he was emerging as the GOP's answer to two straight White House defeats and the demise of the Gingrich-led House.

County should consider zero-based budgeting
In finally arriving at a solution to keeping all of the county's streetlights on, Athens-Clarke County commissioners have stumbled toward a strategy they might consider using each year to control county spending.

U.S. a 'nation of whiners'?
You won't hear me straining to defend Phil Gramm, the Texas Republican whose penchant for grating commentary sunk his 1996 bid for the presidency before the New Hampshire primary. It really was just a matter of time before the former senator, serving as John McCain's economic adviser, put his foot in it: Gramm opined that Americans complaining about the economy were "whiners."

Blog Bits
Government reporter Blake Aued, on this week's Athens-Clarke County Commission meeting:

Dave Barry: St. Paul we hardly knew ye
ST. PAUL - The Republican convention reached a dramatic conclusion Thursday night when, moments after John McCain finished his triumphant acceptance speech, nets high above the convention floor opened up and released thousands upon thousands of red, white and blue golf balls.

Titans post first-ever region win
BOGART - In 2004, North Oconee played its first-ever football game against Oglethorpe County. Five years later, the Titans played their first ever region football game against those same Patriots.

Warriors falter late against Dunwoody
WATKINSVILLE - Oconee County coach Mitch Olson reiterated after Friday night's lopsided loss that his Warriors will be better off by going through this treacherous opening stretch to the season.

Red Raiders hammer Winder
DANIELSVILLE - Madison County played Friday's game like a team that felt it needed to prove something after a season-opening loss last week. Winder-Barrow played like a team taking its first live snaps of the season after installing a new offense.

Athens Area Association of Realtors®: : Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008
The much anticipated Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 was signed into law this summer and includes a great benefit for first-time home buyers. Buyers who purchase a home between April 9, 2008 and July 1, 2009, will be able to claim a tax credit of up to $7,500. Taxpayers are considered first-time buyers if they haven’t owned a primary residence in the past three years.

Big, colorful flowers aren't that hard to grow
If you're a first time homeowner, listen up. If you think you can't grow fabulous flowers, read on. If past failures have made you throw your hands up and retreat from gardening in general, get ready to rumble. There's a secret to great big bold flowers.

Realtor ® Mable Mitchell Earns Prestigious Designation
A local REALTOR® was recently awarded the Graduate, REALTOR® Institute (GRI) designation by the Georgia and National Associations of REALTORS®. Mable Mitchell of Prudential Blanton Properties joins other top producers in the residential real estate industry who hold the GRI designation across the nation.

Athens Area Association of Realtors® President Elect Attends NAR Leadership Summit
Jennifer Westmoreland, President-Elect of the Athens Area Association of REALTORS® and Angela Shields, CEO attended the National Association of REALTORS® Leadership Summit August 21 – 22 in Chicago, Illinois. Presidents and Association Executives from local and state associations across the country came to plan for the year ahead.

Leah H. Leggett Earns Her Associate Broker's License
Prudential Blanton Properties is pleased to announce that Leah Leggett has just received her Associate Broker’s License. She has earned the license by attending a specific, extensive series of courses and classroom instruction, covering a variety of subjects including: contract law, professional standards, sales and marketing, finance, ethics and risk reduction.

HR leader Quentin could miss season
CHICAGO - American League home run leader Carlos Quentin has a broken right wrist stemming from his own temper, and the Chicago White Sox left fielder will have surgery Monday that could sideline him for the rest of the season.

Myers, Phillies take down Mets
NEW YORK - Brett Myers buzzed through the New York Mets' lineup, pitching eight dominant innings and leading the Philadelphia Phillies to a 3-0 victory Friday night that cut their NL East deficit to two games.

Hanna postpones NASCAR races
RICHMOND, Va. - Steady rain that began Friday night and expectations that it would continue through today with Tropical Storm Hanna moving in forced NASCAR to postpone tonight's Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway.

Race team suing Robby Gordon
RICHMOND, Va. - Gillett Evernham Motorsports is suing Robby Gordon, claiming the owner/driver violated terms of an agreement that would have sold his team to GEM.

Giants spank Redskins
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The New York Giants kicked off their Super Bowl title defense with what else - defense.

Atlanta rookie shuts down Nats
ATLANTA - James Parr tossed six sharp innings in his major league debut and the Atlanta Braves beat the Washington Nationals 2-0 on Thursday.

Villegas' 65 extends recent hot streak
ST. LOUIS - Camilo Villegas and Steve Stricker were excited to be playing golf Friday for different reasons, and it showed during a soggy start to the BMW Championship.

Serena back in U.S. Open final
NEW YORK - Serena Williams wound up and smacked a shot directly at Dinara Safina early in the second set of their U.S. Open semifinal.

Chalmers issues apology to Heat, NBA for behavior
MIAMI - A contrite Mario Chalmers spoke out about his banishment from the NBA's rookie symposium Friday, acknowledging that he made an error in judgment but denying numerous reports that he was using marijuana.

UGA unveils new art school building on East Campus
The University of Georgia's Lamar Dodd School of Art showed off Thursday afternoon in a dedication that marked not only the opening of a $40 million building, but the consolidation of most UGA fine arts programs on the university's East Campus.

UGA cuts may cause 'pain'
The University of Georgia may weather state budget cuts without laying off any workers, President Michael Adams told those who packed an auditorium at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education on Friday.

Forums to address three national issues
The University of Georgia's Russell Library and the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library will host three public forums this autumn to discuss a trio of national issues.

Diversity events planned next week
The University of Georgia will launch its second annual "Embracing Diversity" celebration at 1:30 p.m. Monday with a gathering in the UGA Chapel.